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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. field — for sport
  3. press — to push
  4. charge — in control
  5. snap — to click
  6. press — newspapers
  7. field — a subject
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. swing — to play on
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. swing — music
  14. field — farmland
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. swing — in golf
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. chair — a leader
  20. press — a publisher
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. chair — to sit on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com